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Released: Kerberos Configuration Manager for SQL Server

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Kerberos Configuration Manager for SQL Server (KerberosConfigMgr) was released on May 15th 2013, and is available for download at the Microsoft Download Center at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39046.

This diagnostic tool can help to troubleshoot Kerberos-related configuration issues with SQL Server, which is very exciting for us because Kerberos authentication plays a critical role in many BI-related authentication and delegation scenarios, such as to enable multi-tier BI solutions to access external data sources securely on behalf of the user. To enable end-to-end delegation all the way from the client through the middle-tier components to the external data sources, a Service Principal Name (SPN) must be registered within Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) for each SharePoint service account, and then Kerberos Constrained Delegation (KCD) must be configured, which can be quite challenging in enterprise environments with complex AD topologies.

Even though SharePoint shared services, such as Excel Services, Performance Point Services, and SQL Server Reporting Services, can use the EffectiveUserName connection string property of Analysis Services for per-user authentication and eliminate in this way the need to configure KCD between SharePoint shared services and Analysis Services, KCD is still a requirement if Analysis Services is supposed to access further data sources, such as SQL Server databases on behalf of the user. One example is Analysis Services running in PowerPivot mode performing data refresh for an interactive user. Another example is Analysis Services running in Tabular mode hosting a data model with DirectQuery enabled.

KerberosConfigMgr can perform the following functions:

  • Gather information on OS and Microsoft SQL Server instances installed on a server.
  • Report on all SPN and delegation configurations on the server.
  • Identify potential problems in SPNs and delegations.
  • Fix potential SPN problems.

For more information about KerberosConfigMgr, visit the Microsoft Download Center.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 30, 2013
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    June 14, 2013
    The tool does not seem to be aware of AlwaysOn availability groups and the required Kerberos configuration thereof. When can we expect an updated version that is AlwaysOn cluster aware?
  • Anonymous
    June 27, 2013
    Kay - It was great meeting you at TechEd.This is awesome news. Looking forward to downloading and testing this tool. Will report back with any issues or comments.
  • Anonymous
    October 17, 2013
    I little half-heartd I am afraid given it was originally developed in 1999! Great idea, certainly well overdue, but not really that helpful. SPN generator is useful though, too bad it only does it for database engine, not the analysis services.
  • Anonymous
    March 08, 2014
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    May 08, 2014
    Hello,great Blog entry. But it is missing the most important and simple point: HOW TO START THE TOOL. It doesn't create start menu icon. And maybe how to use it.HJ
  • Anonymous
    June 01, 2014
    if you used the default installation path, then go to the following folder:C:Program FilesMicrosoftKerberos Configuration Manager for SQL Serverdouble click the KerberosConfigMgr.exe  to launch the application.see blog: blogs.msdn.com/.../new-tool-quot-microsoft-kerberos-configuration-manager-for-sql-server-quot-is-ready-to-resolve-your-kerberos-connectivity-issues.aspx
  • Anonymous
    June 05, 2014
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    August 20, 2015
    The comment has been removed